Prof. Dr. Oliver Crönertz serves as Dean and Professor of Business Administration and IT-Supported Business Processes at the Faculty of Digital Transformation , HTWK Leipzig. His work bridges digital transformation with business management, focusing on interdisciplinary project management, digital business models, and sustainability. Current roles: Dean, supervising professor for HTWK Robots/nao Team Research areas: Digital Transformation, Business Analytics, Industry 4.0, Stoffstrommanagement Research Trends : Recent publications emphasize digital solutions for environmental management, business process optimization, and smart urban logistics. His work connects Industry 4.0 with financial sustainability and societal impacts of digitalization. Projects : Leads Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Leipzig-Halle, involved in EXIST-Potentiale, Future Parking, and FAssMII (Feedback-based E-Assessment in STEM).
Professor Alexander Koller is a leading academic in Computational Linguistics at Saarland University's Department of Language Science and Technology. He holds a courtesy appointment in Computer Science and contributes to the Saarland Informatics Campus - one of Europe's premier computer science research centers. He leads the Computational Linguistics group and serves as speaker for the DFG-funded Research Training Group 'Neuroexplicit Models of Language, Vision, and Action'. PhD in Computer Science (Saarland University) Former positions: University of Potsdam, Columbia University, University of Edinburgh Sabbatical experiences: Meta AI (Paris), Allen Institute for AI (Seattle) His research focuses on computational modeling of meaning and reasoning in NLP, combining neural and symbolic approaches. Key contributions include semantic parsing systems like the AM parser and Alto, neurosymbolic models, and the GIVE Challenge for NLG evaluation. His recent work explores LLMs' limitations in problem-solving and compositional generalization. Recent publications highlight diverse applications across semantic parsing, dialogue systems, and LLM evaluation. Awards include ACL 2020 Best Theme Paper and multiple Outstanding Paper recognitions at ACL conferences. 2025 - AI Action Summit keynote speaker 2023 - ACL Outstanding Paper Awards 2022 - ELLIS Faculty appointment He maintains the DialogOS system for spoken dialogue development and teaches advanced computational linguistics topics. His group includes multiple postdocs and PhD students working across LLMs, dialogue systems, and semantic modeling.
Holger Wittges is the Managing Director of the SAP University Competence Center (UCC) at the Technische Universität München (TUM) . His work focuses on Digital Transformation , Next Generation ERP , and Hybrid Cloud infrastructure. He is affiliated with the KrcmarLab and collaborates with IBM via the OpenPOWER@TUM initiative. Educational Background: 2004: Dr. rer. oec. (Promotion), Universität Hohenheim 1996: Diplom Wirtschaftsinformatiker, Universität Bamberg Research Interests include Digital Transformation, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), XaaS (Everything as a Service), and Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). His work bridges academic innovation with industry needs through SAP UCC TUM, which provides 40+ educational service bundles like SAP HANA and S/4HANA for teaching and research. Recent Publications highlight advancements in machine learning for ERP support ticket systems, energy efficiency in SAP S/4HANA, and educational frameworks for cloud-based enterprise software. Articles emphasize collaboration with institutions across Europe and contributions to digital ecosystems like the SAP University Alliances. Key Projects include the OpenPOWER@TUM initiative with IBM, focusing on accessible AI/ML infrastructure for academia, and the SAP UCC TUM, which drives Education as a Service (EaaS) strategies for digital business ecosystems.
Muhammad Ali Gulzar is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science Department at Virginia Tech and an Amazon Scholar at Amazon Web Services. His research focuses on improving developer productivity through automated debugging and testing for applications in emerging domains, including data-intensive software such as dataflow programs, ML/AI applications, and computational notebooks. Education Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of California, Los Angeles (Google Ph.D. Fellow 2017-2020) Research Interests Gulzar's research spans three primary areas: (1) automated tracking-code localization techniques in web applications, (2) re-engineering testing and debugging for data-intensive applications, and (3) advancing current testing and debugging practices in Federated Learning Applications. His work addresses the challenges of debugging in complex systems where traditional approaches fail due to the scale and distributed nature of modern applications. His research has significant implications for improving software quality, developer productivity, and accessibility in web applications. Research Trends Recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on debugging and testing challenges in emerging application domains. His work bridges traditional software engineering with machine learning, data-intensive systems, and web technologies. Notably, he has made significant contributions to Federated Learning debugging (FedDebug), accessibility challenges in ad-driven web applications, and semantic caching for Large Language Models. His approach often combines novel algorithmic insights with practical implementations that address real-world challenges in software development and maintenance. Scientific Awards Google Ph.D. Fellow (2017-2020) $1.1 million NSF award for Federated Learning research ACM CCS 2024 Distinguished Artifact Award Advising and Grants Gulzar leads a productive research group with multiple students contributing to publications in top-tier venues. His NSF-funded research on Federated Learning demonstrates his ability to secure competitive funding for innovative projects. His advising style appears to emphasize practical impact alongside theoretical contributions, with students often taking lead roles in publications. Current research directions include debugging techniques for Large Language Models, accessibility challenges in modern web applications, and novel testing approaches for distributed data processing systems.
Prof. Dr. Janick Edinger is a Professor of Distributed Operating Systems at the Department of Informatics, Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, University of Hamburg, Germany. He leads a research group focused on distributed, context-aware, and adaptive computing systems, with a strong emphasis on edge computing, computation offloading, and assistive technologies. Education: PhD in Computer Science, University of Mannheim Studies at National Taiwan University Studies at University of Alberta, Canada Research stays at University of British Columbia, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Georgia State University, USA His research explores how edge computing and computation offloading can enable efficient, privacy-preserving processing of sensor and video data close to their sources, particularly in dynamic environments. He investigates the integration of autonomous and heterogeneous systems—such as drone fleets and mobile devices—into scalable middleware platforms for real-time monitoring and decision-making in logistics and industrial operations. His work also emphasizes societal impact, contributing to accessible routing, adaptive interfaces, and crowd-sourced mapping. The recent publications reflect a strong trend in edge computing, federated learning, privacy-preserving analytics, and assistive technologies. Topics include WebAssembly-based offloading, emotion prediction via eye tracking, real-time traffic detection, and predictive maintenance in Industry 4.0, showcasing a blend of foundational systems research and applied human-centered computing. Scientific Awards: PerCom 2021 Mark Weiser Best Paper Award Best Paper Award at IEEE PerCom 2021 for 'Voltaire: Precise Energy-Aware Code Offloading Decisions with Machine Learning' Prof. Edinger actively advises students and leads research projects involving grants and collaborations. His team includes PhD candidates and researchers working on middleware, edge systems, and context-aware applications. He has served on conference program committees, such as shadow PC member for EuroSys 2021, and publishes in top venues including IPDPS, PerCom, CHIIR, and COMPSAC. Labs and Teams: He leads the Distributed Operating Systems research group at the University of Hamburg, where he mentors students and collaborates on projects involving edge computing, IoT, and adaptive systems.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Beck serves as Professor for Control and Regulation Technology and Automation Technology at Hochschule Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences within the Faculty of Electrical Engineering & Information Technology. His academic responsibilities span multiple degree programs including BEng Electrical Engineering, BEng Industrial Engineering, and MSc Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. His educational background includes Mechanical Engineering studies at TU Braunschweig (1998-2004), followed by doctoral research at RWTH Aachen's Institute of Control Engineering where he earned his Dr.-Ing. in 2010 with a dissertation on predictive energy management for hybrid vehicles. Prior to his current professorship, he held progressive roles at FEV Europe GmbH from 2009-2018, culminating as Senior Project Manager for Vehicle and Powertrain Electronics. Beck's research focuses on control engineering systems with particular emphasis on automation technology, regulation systems, and model-based development approaches. His work bridges theoretical control methodologies with practical automotive applications, especially in hybrid vehicle energy management, multi-robot systems, and intelligent air path control. The Modellfabrik Fab21 serves as his primary experimental platform for model-based development applications. His publication record since 2005 demonstrates consistent contributions to control engineering, particularly in hybrid vehicle systems, emission control optimization, and calibration methodologies. Recent work shows increasing focus on distributed robotics and intelligent transportation systems, reflecting evolving research directions while maintaining core expertise in control theory applications. As an educator, Beck teaches foundational and advanced courses including Electrical Engineering III, Control and Regulation Technology, Model-Based Development, Technical Mechanics, and Advanced Control Engineering at the Master's level. His teaching integrates theoretical concepts with practical laboratory applications through the university's Moodle platform, emphasizing hands-on implementation of control algorithms and system modeling techniques.
Frank Fitzek serves as Full Professor holding the Deutsche Telekom Chair of Communication Networks at Dresden University of Technology, where he directs the Centre for Tactile Internet (CeTI) Cluster of Excellence and maintains association with the Faculty of Computer Sciences. His work is institutionally anchored within the School of Engineering Sciences and actively engages with 5G Lab Germany and 6G-life Hub initiatives, positioning him at the forefront of next-generation communication research. Fitzek's research spans communication networks, tactile internet systems, 5G/6G mobile technologies, network coding, quantum networking, virtual twinning, and haptic feedback systems. His recent publications demonstrate emphasis on resilient network architectures through quantum security protocols, cloud-native 5G implementations, theoretical communications frameworks, and human-computer interaction in mixed reality environments. This work consistently bridges theoretical innovation with practical testbed validations across multiple emerging technology domains. As Director of CeTI, Fitzek leads a major interdisciplinary research cluster focused on ultra-low latency networks enabling remote physical interaction. His affiliations with 5G Lab Germany and 6G-life Hub facilitate industry-academic collaboration on standardization and deployment of future communication infrastructures, with particular emphasis on network coding techniques and tactile internet applications that transform industrial automation and teleoperation scenarios.
Andrew Pavlo is a Professor in the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science. His research focuses on database management systems, particularly in the areas of transaction processing, in-memory databases, and self-driving database systems. He leads a productive research group that has published extensively in top database venues including VLDB, SIGMOD, and CIDR. Pavlo's research interests span database management systems, transaction processing, in-memory databases, non-volatile memory databases, and self-driving database systems. His work often bridges theoretical database concepts with practical system implementation, focusing on performance optimization, query processing, and system architecture. Recent work has explored machine learning applications for database tuning, novel storage techniques, and innovative approaches to transaction processing. An analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on self-driving database systems, with significant work on the Database Gym framework for training machine learning models to optimize database performance. His research also examines columnar storage formats, transaction scheduling, and novel approaches to user-defined function optimization. The work demonstrates a consistent trajectory toward making database systems more autonomous and efficient through a combination of systems techniques and machine learning. Pavlo has been instrumental in mentoring numerous PhD students who have become active contributors to the database research community. His research has been supported by significant grants that have enabled the development of innovative database technologies and frameworks. His research group operates within CMU's vibrant database ecosystem, collaborating with other researchers on projects related to database systems, storage engines, and query processing frameworks. The group maintains close connections with industry partners to ensure practical relevance of their research contributions.
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Wild serves as an Academic Director at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), working within the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology at the Chair of Integrated Systems. He maintains an active research and teaching role at the institution, with his office located in Building N1 (Theresienstr. 90), Room N2136 in Munich, Germany. Dr. Wild's research focuses on advanced computing architectures, with particular emphasis on manycore system on chip (SoC) architectures, network processor (NPU) architectures, on-chip communication architectures including networks on chip (NoC), and system level design methodologies. His work bridges theoretical research with practical implementation, often exploring design space exploration techniques to optimize system performance. The evolution of his research over two decades demonstrates a consistent focus on improving communication architectures and system-level design for embedded and high-performance computing platforms. His recent publications (2023-2025) reveal a growing integration of machine learning techniques with traditional hardware design, particularly in optimizing power-performance tradeoffs in embedded systems. There's a clear trend toward hardware-software co-design approaches, with significant work on SmartNICs, Linux system optimization, and network processing acceleration. His research shows strong interdisciplinary connections between computer architecture, networking, and machine learning. EUROPRACTICE representative for TUM city campus, facilitating access to commercial EDA tools for academic purposes Active collaborator with Professor Andreas Herkersdorf and other researchers at TUM Focus on practical implementations with FPGA-based prototyping and real system modifications Dr. Wild teaches several hardware design courses including VHDL Lab, SystemC Lab, and HW/SW Codesign, contributing to the education of next-generation computer engineers. His teaching directly complements his research in system design and hardware acceleration, providing students with hands-on experience in cutting-edge technologies.
Karl-Erik Årzén is Professor and Head of the Department of Control Engineering at Lund University's Faculty of Engineering. He is also Co-director of the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP) and a key member of ELLIIT, the excellence center in information technology. His roles include leadership in AI and digitalization profile areas at both LTH and Lund University. His research lies at the intersection of control engineering and computer science, with a focus on cyber-physical systems, real-time systems, embedded control, and resource management in cloud and edge computing environments. He has pioneered methods for predictable performance in cloud applications and dynamic resource allocation using control-theoretic approaches. The recent publications highlight a strong trend in control over the cloud and edge, real-time scheduling co-design, distributed camera systems, and reinforcement learning for auto-scaling. Key topics include model predictive control, LQG-based scheduling, bandwidth allocation, and robustness in cyber-physical systems. The work spans theoretical control design and practical implementation in distributed systems. His scientific awards include multiple Best Paper Awards from IEEE and ACM conferences in 2018, 2016, and 2004, recognizing excellence in autonomic computing, edge computing, and real-time systems. Best Paper Award, IEEE International Conference on Autonomic Computing, 2018 Best Paper Award, IEEE International Conference on Edge Computing (EDGE), July 2018 Best Paper Award - RTNS 2016 Best Paper Award - RTCSA 2004 Årzén has supervised over 20 PhD students, including Mikael Johansson, Anton Cervin, Yang Xu, and Per Skarin, and currently supervises Ahmed Al Bayati and Max Nyberg Carlsson. His grant portfolio includes major projects such as WASP, AORTA (VINNOVA), and ELLIIT's 'Robust and Secure Control over the Cloud'. He has also contributed to innovation through tools like TrueTime and Jitterbug. He leads the RobotLab LTH initiative and is involved in the Nordic University Hub on Industrial Internet of Things (HI2OT). His work bridges academia and industry, with collaborations on adaptive control, cloud-native systems, and autonomous robotics.
Michael Pradel is a full professor at the University of Stuttgart, specializing in software engineering, programming languages, and machine learning. He will join CISPA as a faculty member from September 2025 while retaining his Stuttgart position. His research focuses on: Neuro-symbolic software analysis Web application analysis Dynamic analysis and test generation Quantum software testing Machine learning for code Recent publications address: LLM-based program repair (RepairAgent, Treefix) WebAssembly analysis (Wasm-R3, LintQ) Python security and analysis (DyLin, DyPyBench) Quantum program analysis (LintQ) Scientific awards: Ernst-Denert Software Engineering Award Emmy Noether grant (1.3M Euro) ERC Starting Grant (1.5M Euro) 3x ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award at FSE ACM Distinguished Member Best Paper/Distinguished Paper Awards at ISSTA, ASE, ASPLOS, MSR Key contributions include: DeepBugs for name-based bug detection Getafix for automated bug fixing LintQ for quantum program analysis DyLin for Python dynamic analysis Neuro-symbolic developer tools
Prof. Dr. Estela Suarez is a Professor of High Performance Computing at the Institute for Computer Science, University of Bonn (W2 in the Jülich Model) and Joint Lead of the Division "Novel System Architecture Design" at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH. She also leads the Research Group "Next Generation Architectures and Prototypes" at JSC and serves as Spokesperson of Helmholtz Information Program 1, Topic 2. Currently on sabbatical during the 2024/2025 and 2025 academic years, she remains active in research leadership roles. 2010: PhD in Physics from University of Geneva, Switzerland 2004: Master in Physics, Specialization in Astrophysics, University Complutense of Madrid, Spain Professor Suarez specializes in high performance computing with particular expertise in heterogeneous HPC system architectures and modular supercomputing architecture (MSA). Her research spans hardware prototyping and evaluation, system software development, operational data analysis, and co-design methodologies. She has pioneered approaches to address hardware heterogeneity through system-wide orchestration of diverse computing resources, enabling more efficient scientific computing across multiple domains. Her work bridges theoretical computer architecture with practical implementation challenges in exascale computing environments, focusing on real-world applications that require specialized hardware configurations. Professor Suarez's publication record shows a clear evolution from foundational work on the DEEP project (2016) through the development of modular supercomputing concepts (2019-2021) to current applications across diverse scientific domains (2022-2024). Her recent publications demonstrate how modular architectures can be effectively applied to climate modeling, neuroscience simulations, quantum chemistry calculations, and other computationally intensive fields. This trend highlights her focus on practical implementation challenges and the growing importance of adaptable computing architectures in modern scientific research. 2023/2024 Lehrpreis der Universität Bonn: UniBonn teaching award Professor Suarez has secured significant research funding through major projects including NUMERIQS (Projects A05, B02, and Z02), European Processor Initiative (EPI), DEEP-SEA (Software for Exascale Architectures), IFCES2 (optimization of simulation algorithms for exascale supercomputers), and AIDAS (virtual laboratory between Forschungszentrum Jülich and CEA on AI and data analytics). While currently not accepting new students due to sabbatical, she has previously mentored graduate students in high performance computing techniques and has delivered numerous invited lectures at international conferences. Professor Suarez leads the "Next Generation Architectures and Prototypes" research group at JSC and serves as Joint Lead of the "Novel System Architecture Design" division. She chairs the Research and Innovation Advisory Group (RIAG) from EuroHPC Joint Undertaking since 2024. Her work involves close collaboration with international research teams on advancing supercomputing architectures, including contributions to the University of Bonn's new HPC system "Marvin" which ranks on both the TOP500 and GREEN500 lists.
Dr. Andrea Bastoni is a Postdoctoral Researcher and Research Fellow at the Chair of Cyber-Physical Systems in Production Engineering at Technical University of Munich (TUM), Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. He is also the CTO and co-founder of Minerva Systems , developing operating system solutions for AI-ready embedded applications. His expertise spans real-time operating systems, cyber-physical systems, and predictable system design for heterogeneous platforms. His research focuses on enhancing predictability of memory hierarchies in complex SoCs through techniques like memory bandwidth regulation and cache partitioning. This work has industrial applications in safety-critical domains such as avionics and railways, where he contributes to certifiable hypervisors and operating systems. As former Software Architect of the PikeOS hypervisor at SYSGO GmbH (2012-2020), he specialized in DO-178C, IEC 61508, and EN 50128 standards. His academic background includes a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the University of Rome Tor Vergata (2007-2011), where he developed LITMUS^RT as part of UNC's Real-Time Systems Group during a visiting researcher period (2009-2010). His publications reflect ongoing work on Multicore Real-Time Scheduling , Mixed-Criticality Task Isolation, and Arm DynamIQ shared unit analysis. He actively participates in program committees for conferences like RTSS, DSN, and DATE.
Jun.-Prof. Dr. Christian Krupitzer is a Tenure Track Professor in Food Informatics at the University of Hohenheim's Institute of Food Science and Biotechnology, part of the Faculty of Natural Sciences. He leads the Department of Food Informatics and is a member of the Computational Science Hub (CSH). His research focuses on self-adaptive software systems, machine learning (especially edge computing), IoT technologies, and software engineering applied to food processing and agricultural systems. Education: PhD in Business Information Systems (Dr. rer. pol.), University of Mannheim (2018) M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Business Information Systems, University of Mannheim (2010–2012) High School Diploma (Abitur) from Wilhelmi-Gymnasium Sinsheim (2007) Research Interests: Krupitzer’s work integrates computational methods with food science, emphasizing adaptive systems for food quality monitoring, IoT in agriculture, and machine learning for predictive analytics. He explores edge computing’s role in real-time decision-making and secure group communication schemes for IoT networks. Publications: His recent work spans predictive maintenance in Industry 4.0, digital twins in food systems, and blockchain applications in supply chain authentication. The articles highlight trends in interdisciplinary approaches combining AI, IoT, and domain-specific challenges in food production and logistics. Awards: No scientific awards explicitly listed in the provided materials. Grants & Advising: While specific grants are unmentioned, his roles as department head and tenure-track professor suggest involvement in research funding. No formal advisee list provided, though his team includes postgraduate researchers like Dana Jox, Daniel Einsiedel, and others. Labs & Teams: Leads the Food Informatics department and collaborates with the Computational Science Hub. His team focuses on developing innovative solutions for food systems through computational methods.
Prof. Daniel Große serves as Professor at the Institute for Complex Systems (ICS) within Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria, while maintaining a dual affiliation with the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in Bremen. His research centers on Electronic Design Automation (EDA), specializing in verification, debugging, and synthesis of complex hardware/software systems through advanced virtual prototyping techniques. His primary research domains include Formal Verification , Hardware Verification , and Virtual Prototyping , with significant contributions to RISC-V architecture development and embedded systems validation. Current projects like PaSVer (automotive electronics), AUTOASSERT (analog-digital verification), and VerSys (RISC-V software platforms) demonstrate his focus on bridging simulation and formal methods for safety-critical applications. Recent publications reveal accelerating trends in metamorphic testing for embedded graphics libraries and RISC-V vector extensions, alongside innovations in waveform analysis tools like Surfer. His work increasingly integrates AI-assisted verification while maintaining rigorous formal methods foundations. Prof. Große actively supervises student research, having guided Lucas Klemmer's PhD thesis and nine Bachelor theses on topics ranging from RISC-V processor design to transaction visualization. His projects including SATiSFy (autonomous vehicle security) and CONVERS (complex system design automation) secure substantial research funding from academic and industry partners. He leads the Institute for Complex Systems' development of open-source tools such as RISC-V VP++ and contributes to international standards through program committee roles at DATE, ICCAD, and RISC-V Summit Europe.
